Evidence
8 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-8).
-
[1]Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS), 'Blue Ridge' II (AGC-2) entry - NHHC canonical page 404 at access date; text verified via two independent mirrors: hazegray DANFS transcription (losthistory.net) and the extended DANFS entry mirrored at GlobalSecurity.org [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS AGC-2 entry; extended text at https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/lcc-19.htm (AGC 2 section); canonical NHHC URL https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/blue-ridge-ii.html returned 404 on 2026-09-20
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- DANFS record: second Blue Ridge (AGC-2), Appalachian-class amphibious force flagship, launched 1943-03-07 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny NJ, under a Maritime Commission contract (sponsor Mrs. David Arnott); transferred to Navy 1943-03-15; outfitted as amphibious force flagship by Bethlehem Steel Co., Brooklyn NY; commissioned 1943-09-27 (Cmdr. L. R. McDowell). Departed east coast 1943-11-01; flagship, 7th Amphibious Force (RADM Barbey) from Milne Bay 1943-12-24; Leyte landings 1944-10-20 through Surigao/San Pedro Bay approach with repeated air attacks 10-23/26; flagship of San Fabian Attack Force (TF 78) for Lingayen Gulf landings 1945-01-09; Philippines until 1945-06; flagship RADM Wright Amphibious Group Five at Pearl Harbor; occupation/China service incl. Tsingtao and Shanghai station command ship to 1946-02-24; Operation Crossroads preparation at Terminal Island NSY; Bikini 1946-06-29 to 07-30 as command/observation ship for both tests carrying flag/general officers incl. VADM Hill and BuShips chief VADM Cochrane; decommissioned San Diego 1947-03-14; Pacific Reserve Fleet until stricken 1960-01-01; sold for scrapping 1960-08-26 to Zidell Exploration Inc., Portland OR. Two battle stars.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1960
- Population
- Ship's company 36 officers + 442 enlisted; embarked flag staffs (Barbey, Wright, Kiland, Noble); Crossroads observers
- Limitations
- Authoritative for identity, construction, service history, and disposal. Contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or condition-survey information - supports no asbestos claim. Mirror defects noted: hazegray transcription carries a typo ('14 March 1847' for decommissioning; 1947 is correct per all other sources) and the GlobalSecurity mirror has minor OCR-style errors ('Linguine Gulf'); both are transcriptions, not the live NHHC page (404).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-01
-
[2]Defense Nuclear Agency, 'Operation CROSSROADS-1946' (DNA 6032F, report KT-83-006(R)), Nuclear Test Personnel Review series; DTIC accession ADA146562 [other_primary]
- Locator
- DNA 6032F: TU 1.3.3 organization listing; weather-unit assignment; post-Baker 'within radiological limits' 12-ship list; Table 31 (reconstructed dose, support ship crews); Appendix A ship entry 'USS BLUE RIDGE (AGC-2)'; full text mirrored at archive.org/stream/DTIC_ADA146562
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- Defense Nuclear Agency NTPR report DNA 6032F 'Operation CROSSROADS-1946' documents this hull ship-specifically: support ship in Task Unit 1.3.3 (Observer Unit) carrying observers and providing communications; Bikini Atoll arrival 1946-06-29, departure 1946-07-30; crew size 534; positioned 18 nmi (33 km) NNE of Shot Able detonation (1946-07-01) and 10 nmi (19 km) ESE of Shot Baker (1946-07-25); a one-man aerological (weather) unit was stationed aboard. Table 31 reconstructed (calculated) crew doses: 0.001 rem gamma for the Bikini period, 0.010 rem gamma total; decontamination location Los Angeles; final radiological clearance by 1946-11-22. The report lists Blue Ridge among 12 nontarget ships found within post-Baker radiological limits (ships that either never re-entered Bikini Lagoon after Baker or spent only 1-3 days there).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946 (reconstruction published 1984)
- Population
- Crew of 534 (1946); embarked observers incl. flag/general officers and UN officials
- Limitations
- This is a radiological record, not an asbestos record - it documents ionizing-radiation conditions, not asbestos-containing materials. Doses are model reconstructions, not individual film-badge measurements (the report notes only a small portion of Crossroads participants were badged, and only during potentially exposing missions). Does not establish any asbestos fact, individual asbestos exposure, or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-02
-
[3]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII - the era and program (wartime Maritime Commission contract construction, 1942-43) under which this hull was built and outfitted.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-03
-
[4]NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive, USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2) page (10/01/0102) - secondary compilation of official Navy/MARAD data [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AGC-2 page: construction timeline, awards table, Crossroads assignment, disposal block (PD-X-583), commanding officers table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Online (volunteer naval photo archive) compiles from official records: laid down 1942-12-04 as Maritime Commission type C2-S-B1 hull under MC contract (MC hull 201) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Kearny NJ; call sign NTAE; two battle stars; Navy Occupation Service Medal and China Service Medal periods 1945-09-23 to 1946-02-24; assigned JTF-1 Task Unit 1.3.3 Transportation Group (Observation Units) for Operation Crossroads; title transferred to Maritime Administration 1960-08-26; sold for scrapping 1960-08-18 to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland OR, under sale PD-X-583 dated 1960-07-22 for $91,138.83; withdrawn from US Naval Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group, 1960-08-26. Commanding officer roster 1943-47 (McDowell, Brumbaugh, Criddle, Bryan).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1960
- Limitations
- Volunteer-run secondary compilation, not an official record - dates/details here corroborate DANFS and DNA 6032F where they overlap, but the laid-down date, MC hull number, sale contract number, and price rest on NavSource's transcription pending confirmation against NARA/MARAD records. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-04
-
[5]Navypedia, 'APPALACHIAN amphibious command ships (1943-1944)' class page - secondary technical compilation [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class technical-data table: machinery row 'AGC1, 2: 1 set General Electric geared steam turbines, 2 Combustion Engineering boilers'; builder/yard columns
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Navypedia class compilation: Appalachian-class ships were converted from standard C2-S-B1 transport hulls; for AGC-1 and AGC-2 the machinery is listed as 2 Combustion Engineering boilers feeding 1 General Electric geared steam turbine, approx. 6,600 hp, single shaft, 17 kt max. Yard number 243 for Blue Ridge at Federal, Kearny; Bethlehem, Brooklyn as conversion yard.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation stated at class level (AGC-1 and AGC-2 grouped); not confirmed against BuShips machinery specifications or the ship's Booklet of General Plans. Carried for propulsion context only; establishes no asbestos fact.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-05
-
[6]Batch-710 search ledger (this record): DANFS mirrors; DNA 6032F full text; NavSource; Navypedia; usmm.org C2 list; CourtListener API + web-indexed sweep; MARAD ShipHistory; NVR; NPS (not applicable - scrapped 1960) [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-01 through sl-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, BVA decision, or docketed case naming USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2) was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The ship was scrapped in 1960, before asbestos surveys became routine - no survey is known to have ever existed. CourtListener direct search could not be completed this pass (API rate-limited 125/day; web frontend 403); web-indexed CourtListener hits for 'Blue Ridge' are all civilian name collisions (Blue Ridge Paper Products, Blue Ridge Insurance, Blue Ridge Sand & Gravel, Blue Ridge Rural Electric) with no hull reference.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943 wartime steam-driven hull is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and no survey was ever performed. Sweep completeness caveat: CourtListener direct query was rate-limit-blocked; litigation classification rests on web-indexed results. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-06
-
[7]U.S. Navy SURFPAC official page for USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19); NHHC command-operation report index (LCC-19 files, e.g., 1990 command history); excluded marketing pages logged in search ledger [other_primary]
- Locator
- SURFPAC LCC-19 About page; NHHC command-operation-reports/blue-ridge-lcc-19 PDFs; marketing pages not cited as evidence
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Name-collision record: three Navy vessels have borne the name - Blue Ridge (S.P. 2432), a WWI Great Lakes steamer; this ship, AGC-2 (1943-1960); and USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), commissioned 1970 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and still in service as Seventh Fleet flagship. Contemporary asbestos-marketing pages and NVR-derived claims attach to LCC-19 (e.g., a veterans' site asserting NVR lists asbestos aboard 'USS Blue Ridge'), not to this hull; asbestos-ships.com's AGC-2 page is a law-firm marketing page making the unsourced claim that all who served aboard inhaled asbestos fibers - excluded from evidence per source rules.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1970-present (LCC-19); 1943-1960 (this hull)
- Limitations
- Disambiguation record only - prevents modern LCC-19 material (still-active ship with a different construction era and hazard profile) from contaminating this hull's record. Asserts nothing about asbestos aboard AGC-2.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-07
-
[8]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 178 (U.S. Maritime Commission); NHHC archives catalog; MARAD ShipHistory database [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; .../groups/019.html ; .../groups/178.html ; vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - research-room work or reproduction orders; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 Navy deck logs for AGC-2 (1943-47), which log materials handling and yard periods; RG 19 Bureau of Ships records covering the Bethlehem Steel Brooklyn flagship conversion of MC hull 201 (contract/outfitting specs are the most likely source of any asbestos itemization); RG 178 Maritime Commission construction records for hull 201 at Federal Kearny; NHHC ship history file and WWII action reports for AGC-2; MARAD vessel status card for MC hull 201 (not located in the digitized ShipHistory database this pass).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1960 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-blue-ridge-agc2-08